An electronic whiteboard system is a processor-based computing system used to input and output information associated with a software application running on the system. Typically, in accordance with such a system, one or more users “write” on the whiteboard using an electronic writing instrument, such as a lightpen. The lightpen permits the user to write with “electronic ink.” Electronic ink is the term given to writing that is electronically captured from and/or electronically projected on the whiteboard without using physical ink. However, in some whiteboard systems, the “writing” may be done with actual physical ink on the whiteboard. In any case, a user's writing, as well as any other desired information, is displayed on the whiteboard which is viewable by the one or more users. The data entered on the whiteboard may then be stored for subsequent use by the application being run on the system. Examples of such whiteboard systems are: Ideaboard by 3M Inc. (http://www.3m.com/vsd/ams/11_whtbd.html); e-Beam by Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (http://www.e-beam.com/ihdex_flash.html); SoftBoard by Microfield Graphics, Inc. (http://www.softboard.com/); SMART Board (htttp://www.smartboard.co.uk/product/index.html); Mimio by Virtual Ink Inc. (http://www.virtual-ink.com/ns.shtml); and Liveboard, The Office of the Future: Xerox PARC, Wendy Taylor, PC Computing, pp. 192, January 1995.
A collaborative whiteboard system is a distributed computing system which includes two or more individual electronic whiteboard systems, as mentioned above, in communication with each other while running a collaborative application. While the individual systems, and thus their respective users, are remote from one another, a user at a first location is able to view information written by a user at a second location. This way, the remote users may interact as if they are in the same location. Examples of such whiteboard systems are: Netmeeting by Microsoft, Inc.; and Sametime by Lotus, Inc.
In existing whiteboard collaborations, data contributed to the overall system is only associated with the individual whiteboard system at which the contribution is made. That is, any data entered at a given location by multiple users may only be identified as data contributed at the system of the given location. Thus, unfortunately, there is no way to distinguish the individual contributors of data at a particular location. Stated another way, there currently is no way to impart identity or ownership to whiteboard data, such as pen strokes.
One existing solution is to run multiple client collaboration application programs on one computer so as to accommodate the multiple users for the one computer at one site. One major drawback is the lack of computing resources on one computer. Another disadvantage is that such a setup does not seamlessly convey that these multiple users are actually at one physical site.
Thus, in accordance with applications running on such a collaborative whiteboard system, it would be desirable to be able to separate contributions made by individual users in the collaborative system. That is, it would be desirable to be able to identify which user in the distributed system entered which whiteboard data.